Eating local in Kolkata, West Bengal

Eating in Kolkata is very different from anywhere else in India, and we have a list of places you should try on your next trip to the City of Joy

Adarsha Hindu HotelBengalis love hilsa fish, and they’ve come up with so many ways to bring out its distinctive flavour. At this no-frills eatery on Rash Behari Avenue in Gariahat Market, learn how to eat ilish (hilsa) Bengali style – order an ilish curry rice, squeeze the fish to mix it into the rice, roll it into morsels, eat and smack your lips. You’ve earned your ilish chops.

Tero ParbonAt Tero Parbon on Purna Das Road, you could find up to 46 different ways to enjoy hilsa – especially during the annual hilsa festival in the monsoon. Try ilish tel masala bhaja (fried hilsa) or narkal poshto ilish (hilsa in a thick coconut and poppy-seed gravy) here. The serving staff will encourage you to sprinkle your food with ilish tel (hilsa oil); they know what they’re talking about, so go for it.

ApanjanYou’re likely to be standing out on the pavement at this hole-in-the-wall on Sadananda Road, alongside many locals who’ve been coming here for years for the fish kabiraji with mustard sauce. Everything here is about fried snacks – fish, mutton and egg. And it’s all a great crowd-puller.

SuruchiTry the women-run Suruchi on Elliot Road, where the food reflects homeliness you might not find elsewhere. The staple is the veg thali, but you can order non-vegetarian dishes as well to add to your meal – try the ilish bhapa (steamed hilsa); it has a reputation for melt-in-your-mouth goodness here.

AaheliWhen it comes time for something less savoury, make your way to this restaurant at The Peerless Inn on JL Nehru Road for aam pora shorbot, a tangy raw mango drink, and mishti doi (yoghurt sweetened with jaggery).